Synod Assembly Asks ELCA to Reject 'Called to Common Mission'

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Western Iowa Synod Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted by a 2-1 margin a resolution that calls on the 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to reject the current Lutheran proposal for full communion with The Episcopal Church.
The Western Iowa Synod Assembly met April 9-10 in Sioux City. It was the first of the ELCA's 65 synods to meet in assembly this year.
The proposed agreement with the Episcopal Church, "Called to Common Mission (CCM)," has generated some opposition in the ELCA. CCM will be considered for adoption at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Denver, Aug. 16-22.
The resolution adopted by the Western Iowa Synod is commonly known as the "Mahtomedi Resolution," named for the Minnesota town where a conference was held earlier this year raising concerns about the proposed agreement. In addition to calling for rejection of the proposal, the assembly affirmed a "commitment to continue to work together with our Episcopal neighbors." The resolution "acknowledges the ordination of Episcopal clergy and welcomes them to serve in ELCA parishes or pastoral positions ... consistent with the ELCA's Confession of Faith."
The Western Iowa Synod Assembly defeated a resolution whose primary author was the Rev. Curtis H. Miller, bishop of the synod. That proposal listed a series of understandings of how CCM will be implemented. The same resolution was adopted by the ELCA Conference of Bishops in Tucson, Ariz., in March and has been widely circulated.
While the Western Iowa Synod was meeting, the ELCA Church Council was in session in Chicago. It voted to "receive and transmit" the Conference of Bishops' resolution authored by Miller to churchwide assembly voting members as information. It also proposed an amendment to the CCM text that the ELCA and Episcopal Church "acknowledge and declare" that CCM has been "correctly interpreted" by the resolution.
Miller acknowledged the irony that his own synod assembly defeated a resolution he authored. However, he said he was "not surprised" by the success of the Mahtomedi Resolution.
Several pastors in the Western Iowa Synod are opposed to CCM and voiced their concerns prior to the synod assembly, he said. Supporters of CCM were not as vocal, Miller said.
"I think my synod is characteristic of a number of synods in the Upper Midwest who find the historic episcopate to be very troubling," Miller said.
For those in the ELCA opposed to CCM, many of their questions are focused on the historic episcopate and the potential loss of Lutheran identity. Lutherans and Episcopalians agree on the doctrine of "apostolic succession," an ongoing faithful proclamation of Christ. Episcopalians bring to the relationship the "historic episcopate," a succession of bishops as a sign of unity back to the earliest days of the Christian church.
CCM is a revision of a similar proposal, known as the Concordat of Agreement, that failed by six votes to achieve a required two-thirds majority at the 1997 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The Concordat is the result of dialogues involving Episcopal and Lutheran representatives that began in 1983. If approved, CCM opens possibilities for cooperative ministries, including the exchange of clergy.
Miller said the resolution he authored was written because there was "misinformation" about CCM. "My intention was to clarify these issues," he said of the defeated resolution. "I wanted it to have the effect of focusing on the question of whether the historic episcopate is a good idea for us or not."
One who supported the Western Iowa Synod Assembly's action on CCM is the Rev. David A. Grindberg, pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church, Storm Lake, Iowa, where Miller is a member. Grindberg said he strongly favors an ecumenical relationship with the Episcopal Church, but said CCM is not the way to achieve it.
Two years ago, Grindberg's congregation offered a motion to the Western Iowa Synod Assembly to support the Concordat. The motion passed overwhelmingly, he said. But in 1999, Grindberg said he feels differently.
"I've done a 180-degree turn on this," said Grindberg. Grindberg also said he is concerned about parts of the resolution Miller authored.
"We have an honest disagreement about the interpretation of Article 7. I couldn't be true to myself and ascend to that," he said. Article 7 is part of the Augsburg Confession, a foundational document of the Lutheran Church, and is specifically mentioned in the resolution Miller authored.
Next month, Grindberg is scheduled to be a presenter at the second conference on CCM this year at Mahtomedi, Minn. The conference, "Upholding Lutheran Confessions #2," will be held May 10-11 at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church. Conference participants are expected to formulate strategies to raise concerns about CCM at ELCA synod assemblies this spring.
"I will encourage the people attending the conference to do everything they can do to create a space for fair and open discussion of the issues at synod assemblies," Grindberg said. "Bring forth all the salient arguments -- for and against."
"I hope and pray the rest of the church will follow the lead of the Western Iowa Synod Assembly and have open and frank discussion about CCM and explore what this will mean for the ELCA," Grindberg added.
In other CCM actions, the Western Iowa assembly defeated a motion to ask the churchwide assembly to postpone its anticipated vote on CCM. It also defeated a resolution endorsing CCM, offered as a substitute for the Mahtomedi Resolution.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html